RAFAC Heraldic Badges

I’m pretty sure that when @OC.1324 talked about ‘templates’, he meant RAFAC logos combined with official sqn, wg, or region badges (where they exist), or the ATC / CCF badge: not a frame to put your illegal badges into to make them look a bit more like official ATC badges.

The IBN gives a clear option to continue using what you call “illegal badges”, but no mechanism to make it easy for volunteers.

Besides, how do you propose to make a badge which will one day be formally approved without a template? Surely that would be a good starting point to encourage people to get them formally approved.

That’s what I’m here for.

If you want an authorised badge, please do reach out and I’ll guide you through the process.

If units do their own thing with the expectation that it will then be possible to get it authorised later on, that’s where you will likely run into trouble. There’s too much nuance and the sands are constantly shifting as new badges are granted (ie all badges must not only be unique but also significantly well-differenced from all others, both parent service and RAFAC, so even if your DIY badge was genuinely sound yesterday, it may not be today).

Herein lies the issue, and why it just isn’t possible to advise and police the world of the unofficial. Your unit badge could be the same as another unit’s authorised badge, or you could share a motto. They have the right to that badge and you don’t.

I hope this isolated response to your query is helpful in expanding upon the wider context as to why it’s a tricky area.

Ping me an email if you’d like support.

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I understand your point, but this is exactly what the IBN is trying to do. If they want compliance with that, then the tools to help would be helpful. And by tools I don’t mean getting rid of unofficial squadron badges.

But getting rid of unofficial branding is exactly what the IBN is there to do (with the exceptions noted by @Wizzle earlier).

When are we going to get official pictures sent out to squadrons with clear definitions of what is acceptable, and what isn’t .

Great getting comment son here, but this is not the official comms channel and not every squadron has someone on here.

A clear document; this is correct and why, this is wrong and why. :man_shrugging:t2:

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I have been acknowledging such requests and putting some bits together / proposing changes to existing work / docs to make for better clarity.

As mentioned above, the team is awaiting some much-needed clarifications from the parent service before we attempt to provide that clarity.

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100%

Some will comply.

Some will be forced by zealous Wing staff.

Most will ignore it until the circus moves on to the next really urgent unimportant topic.

Meanwhile flying & gliding will reduce further, full bore shooting will become a myth and camp places will be a thing of memory.

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You mean because the team have misinterpreted the IBN :wink:
and @Baldrick is right

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It’s a heavy burden.

Ya know, the ability to read.

Departure from the above, if I may.

I’ve been trying to contact the person who runs the “RAF Vector Badges” website to see if they’d be interested in a symbiotic relationship whereby I help maintain their records and we get to benefit from standardised digital graphics that have been done to a very good standard.

Unfortunately, I’m getting the impression the pages are no longer monitored.

Does anyone have an “in”, or otherwise know of someone who is good with graphics and may be interested in teaming up on such a project?

Approaching internal, parent-service graphics is obviously one of my options, but I’m keen to see what other untapped (and low cost) options may exist.

Grateful to anyone willing to share a lead.

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Dunno if this will help or is feasible - send a message via the domain registrant??

Don’t think so unfortunately.

I’ve Facebooked and emailed them and everything has bounced or is unseen.

Genuinely gutted. It could have been an excellent team-up.

Which website was it?

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It’s really irritating how they’ve put a load of the town/city names in brackets on some badges, and not others.

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Looking at the badges and I came across a badge that uses the Welsh name for the town where the unit is based. Some town and their units only have Welsh names while other only have English manes they has never been a translation into welsh. Most town have both Welsh and English but the English name is the most commonly used.

@OC.1324 , the question is under heraldic law is it expectable to use another language in the circle for the name of the unit? Also, going on from this, apart from Latin and English are other languages allowed on badges?

French is allowed. At least I hope it is, our badge has it on and is approved the proper way.

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I don’t know the answer about town names, but presumably if it only has a Welsh name then that’s what appears on the badge?

I’ve seen heraldic mottoes in Latin, English, Welsh, Gaelic, Arabic, French, and German (and possibly others I’m forgetting).

Surely on the basis that Welsh is the official langauge of Wales it should be allowed?

Klingon?

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